Ohio State football: Detroit cornerback commits to class of 2014

Ohio State’s pursuit of highly rated safety Vonn Bell for this year’s recruiting class seems
destined to go to signing day on Feb. 6, but the Buckeyes today won the battle for a 2014
blue-chipper, cornerback prospect Damon Webb.

Webb, from Detroit (Cass Tech), made an unofficial visit to OSU over the weekend while Bell
was on an official visit, and it was Webb who liked what he heard, felt and saw. He committed.

“It just felt like it’s the best program for me,” Webb said. “I like the coaches and the
atmosphere there, and the academics as well.”

He was able to attend the Buckeyes’ basketball upset win over Michigan before heading back,
and though the raucous atmosphere was impressive, he said, that wasn’t what made the difference.

“Just seeing the campus, hanging out with the players, it felt like a family atmosphere,
along with being with the coaches and seeing the academic side,” Webb said.

The second player to commit to the OSU 2014 class, joining offensive lineman Marcelys Jones
of Cleveland (Glenville), Webb is a major win for coach Urban Meyer and his staff, said Bill
Greene, recruiting analyst for Scout.com.

“Damon Webb is one of the top players in the country for 2014,” Greene said. “He might end up
(rated as) a five-star player in the end. He will be higher-ranked than Eli Apple, Cam Burrows or
Gareon Conley (cornerbacks in the 2013 OSU class), and is a significant addition for Ohio State.”

Landing Bell, of Rossville, Ga. (Ridgeland) for this year’s class would be significant, also,
but that race continues. Bell could not be reached for comment, but his older brother, Volonte, who
accompanied him to OSU, tweeted, “I would say the Ohio State visit was an A. They really got my
family to buy in what they are building at the Buckeye Nation.”

Alabama’s Nick Saban is expected to visit with Vonn Bell on Monday, though, and Bell is
scheduled to visit Alabama this weekend. He will make an official visit to Tennessee the following
weekend before making up his mind.